Mourners clash with Malawi Police over mysterious death

Pandemonium broke loose in Nkhotakota district Wednesday when police fired teargas to disperse angry relatives of a woman who was found dead but without a leg and an arm.

The incident occurred at Kambuzi village, Traditional Authority Mphonde where scores of the woman’s relatives physically assaulted a husband to the departed woman for being suspected of having a hand in their relative’s murder.

The deceased’s husband was baldy pummeled and is currently battling for his life at Nkhotakota District Hospital.

During the fracas some police officers also sustained injuries with varied degrees after they were attacked by the irate villagers.

Police had skirmishes with villagers

According to Nkhotakota police spokesperson Kaitano Lubrino, the deceased identified as 21-year-old Sarah Nkhoma, was killed by a crocodile while she was in her garden.

Late Nkhoma is reported to have left her home early morning of 17 January this year to work in her garden located along the banks of Bua River but did not return.

The development forced family members to search for her and also report the matter to police.

Lubrino said the search did not yield anything until January 21 when her body was discovered along Lake Malawi at Chisi Fishing Dock by a fisherman but without her left leg and right arm.

“Police officers together with medical personnel from Nkhotakota District Hospital visited the scene and established that the deceased died due to excessive loss of blood after she was severe attacked by a crocodile,” Lubrino said.

But when her relatives from Msenjere Trading Centre in the area of T/A Kanyenda heard about the death, they suspected that her husband was responsible for it and immediately mobilised themselves for a revenge.

“The following day they went to Kambuzi Village where they captured the deceased husband and stripped him naked. Then they took him to their home to allegedly kill him,” he explained.

However, some well wishers immediately alerted police officers who rushed to the area where they indeed found the violent group still assaulting and torturing the man.

“The situation was tense and risky because the crowd was just too violent. But we managed to rescue the victim and sought refuge at Msenjere police unit. We then asked our friends from Nkhunga Police to assist us with their vehicle since ours had whisked the victim away for safety,” Lubrino said.

But the situation worsened after the angry group started throwing stones forcing police to start firing teargas and blank bullets to calm the situation.

“In the process we arrested one person suspected to be the ring leader and he is currently in custody at Nkhunga Police,” he explained.